Leaf flipper



P. O. UNGER LEAF FLIPPER Nov. 17, 1931.

Filed Nov.

Patented Nov. 17, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFncn-z I PAUL O. UNGER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 'IO MCMILLAN BOOK COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK LEAF FLIPPER Application filed November This invention relates to a new and improved leaf flipper.

My invention is particularly well adapted to be used with types of record books usually termed loose leaf binders;

In binders of this type, the leaves of the binder are provided with spaced apertures adjacent one edge which are adapted to be placed on dividable rings or prongs carried on the binder.

In use, the leaves of the binder will be moved along the prongs or rings when the binder is opened and also when the binder is closed.

In opening the binder, the leaves will move downwardly on the rings easily and through their own weight. When the binder is closed, however, it is usual to raise the covers upon which the leaves are resting and when this is done, the leaves will be pushed upwardly on the rings. WVhen this is done, there is danger of injury to the leaves particularly the bottom leaves because of the fact that there is considerable friction between the leaves and the rings.

In order to protect the leaves during the closing of the book and also to facilitate the movement of the leaves on the rings, certain devices have been made consisting of boards or leaves of stiff material which are placed on the rings beneath the lowermost sheet with the idea that these boards will support the sheets during the closing of the book and direct them in their movement along the rings.

All of these boards or, as they are commonly called, leaf flippers which have been hitherto known to the art have certain defects in operation, particularly the defect that the flippers themselves tend to bind on the rings. 3

I have discovered that the reason the flippers bind on the rings is because the outer edges of the apertures provided therein will contact with the sides of the rings when the outer ends of thevflippers are raised upwardly andthe friction between the edges of the apertures in the flippers and the sides of the rings will continue until the flippers have 1, 1929. Serial No. 404,045.

been forced upward approximately half way to the top of the rings. 7

In order to overcome this defect in flippers hitherto known, I have designed a flipper and a positioning device therefor which will permit the flipper to be moved upwardly on the ring without any frictional contact between the outer ends of the apertures in the flipper and the sides of the rings.

The main object of my invention, as just explained, is to provide a flipper and a positioning device therefor which will insure that the flipper will be carried upwardly on the rings of a binder approximately half way to the top of the rings without the edges of the apertures in the flipper coming into frictional contact with the sides of the rings.

Another object is to provide leaf flippers of such a design that they will accomplish the purpose for which they are designed with, if desired, a very small distance between the bottom ends of the opposed rings or prongs.

Other objects and advanta es relate to the size, shape and relation 0 parts all as will more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved leaf flipper.

Figure 2 is a top plan view, partially broken away, of a binder in the open position with my leaf flippers in position on the rings of thebinder.

Figure 3 is a section on line 33, of F igure 2.

F igure4 is a fragmentary View on a larger scale of a portion of Figure 2.

It will be understood that my invention is adapted to be used with loose leaf binders of varying types, but for the purpose of explaining the operation of my invention, I have here shown a common type of binder which comprises a back member 1 having opposed covers 2 and 3 hingedly connected thereto. On back member 1 is provided a longitudinally extending spring back plate thawing channels on its opposite edges.

A toggle plate 5 having secured thereto a plurality, in this case shown as five, of halfrings 9 has its longitudinal edge seated'in one channel in spring back plate 4 and has its inner longitudinal edge positioned between the heads of a plurality of headed buttons 7, one only being here shown.

A second toggle plate 8 having secured thereto a plurality, in this case shown as five, of half-rings 6 has its outer longitudinal edge seated in the opposite channel of spring back plate 4 and has its inner longitudinal edge positioned between the heads of headed buttons 7.

The combined lengths of toggle plates 5 and 8 and the shank of button 7 is greater than the normal distance between the 011811-- nels in spring back plate 4.

With the rings in the closed position, as shown in Figure 3, the buttons 7 will be beneath the plane in which the channels of spring back plate 4 are positioned.

\Vhen it is desired to open the rings of the binder, the half-rings 6 and the half-rings 9 are forced away from each other which move ment will cause the buttons 7 to be raised above the plane in which the channels of spring back plate 4 are disposed, such movement being permitted by the resiliency of spring back plate 4.

The upward and downward movement of toggle plates 5 and S is limited by the buttons 7 because of the fact that the movement of toggle plates 5 and 8 with regard to buttons 7, is limited by the heads of buttons 7 between which the edges of toggle plates and 8 are positioned.

A top'plate 10 having channels on its opposite longitudinal edges is placed in position on spring back plate 4 with the longitudinal edges of such plate 4 seated in the channels in top plate 10.

Opposed slots 11 and 12 are provided in top plate 10 to permit the movement therein of halfrings 9 and 6 as such rings are opened and closed.

For the purpose of insuring that my leaf flippers hereinafter to be described may be properly positioned with respect to the halfrings 6 and 9, I provide on top plate 10 in spaced relation, a pair of stops 13 and 14.

My leaf flippers 15 and 16 are preferably made of comparatively stifl fibre.

Flipper 15 is provided with a plurality of, in this case shown as five, oblong apertures 17 adapted to receive half-rings 6 or 9, and I prefer to provide adjacent the outer end of apertures 17, depressed channels 18 and at the inner end of such apertures 17, raised channels 19 as disclosed in Patent Number 1,722,645 dated July 30,1929, and issued to the McMillan Book Company as my assignee.

Flipper 16 is provided with similar apertures 20 and similar channels 21 and 22.

In flippers of this character, it is desirable that the inner edge of the flipper extend some distance from the apertures so that such inner edge will ride on the upper surface of cover plate 10 to aid the flipper in its movement along the half-rings 6 or 9.

The area of apertures 17 and 20 is preferably considerably greater than the cross-sec tional area of half-rings 6 and 9.

In order to economize space and to permit the lower ends of half-rings 6 and 9 to be placed closer together than would otherwise be possible, I have cut away the central porion 01 the inner edge of flipper 15 leaving the opposite ends 23 and 24 extending outwardly from the apertures 17 the required distance to permit the inner edge of the flipper to properly ride on cover plate 10.

In the case of flipper 16, I have cut away portions of the ends of the inner edge of said flipper leaving the central portion 25 extending outwardly the proper distance.

When the flippers are in position on a binder, the central portion 25 of flipper 16 is adapted to dovetail into the central portion of flipper 15 and the outer ends 23 and 24 of flipper 15 will be positioned in the opposite cut-away ends or" flipper 16.

In Figure 2, I have shown flippers 15 and 16 in the position described.

lVith the flippers formed as just described, it will be obvious that the lower ends of halfrings 6 and 9 may be placed closer together than would be possible if the complete inner edge of each of the flippers 15 and 16 extended outwardly the proper distance from the apertures 17 and 20 respectively.

In the inner edge of flipper 15 and opposite each of the end apertures 17, I provide slots 26 and 27.

The stops 13 and 14 are so positioned on cover plate 10 that when the flippers 15 .and 16 are in position one end of stop 13 will be positioned in slot 27 in flipper 15 and one end of stop 14 will be positioned in slot 26 in flipper 16.

The opposite ends of stops 13 and 14 will abut against the inner edge of flipper 16 at points adjacent the opposite end apertures 20 in such flipper 16.

The relation of parts is such that when flippers 15 and 16 are in position on a binder with thebinder in the open position the inner edges of flippers 15 and 1.6 will abut against the stops 13 and 14 and when in this position, the outer ends of apertures 17 in flipper 15 will be in spaced relation to the outer sides of half-rings 6 and the outer ends of apertures 20 in flipper 16 will be in spaced relation to the outer sides of half-rings 9.

With the flippers 15 and 16 in such relation to half rings 6 and 9, the raising of the covers 2 and 3 to close the binder will cause the outer ends 01" flippers 15 and 16 to be raised upwardly carrying with them such loose leaves as may be positioned thereon.

The raising of the outer ends of flippers 15 and 16 will cause the inner ends thereof to ride outwardly on the upper surface of cover plate 10.

The outer ends of apertures 17 and 20 being initially in spaced relation to the outer sides of half-rings 6 and 9 respectively, the flippers 15 and 16 will move upwardly a considerable distance to approximately half way to the top of half-rings 6 and 9 respectively before the outer ends of apertures 17 and 20 contact with the outer sides of half-rings 6 and 9, and this initial upward movement of flippers l5 and 16 having been accomplished without any frictional contact between flippers 15 and 16 and half-rings 6 and 9 respectively, the closing of the book will have been accomplished easily and quickly.

I have here shown leaf flippers of a particular design and I have also shown stops 13 and 14 which consist of inverted U-shaped members secured as by riveting to the upper surface of cover plate 10, but it will be understood that the particular shape of the flippers themselves may be changed if desired and it will also be understood that the size, location and particular shape of the stops may also be varied to a considerable extent, for although I have shown and described a specific structure and form and relation of parts as an exemplincation of an embodiment of my invention I do not desire to restrict myself to the size, shape or relation of parts as various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a back member, opposed covers hinged to the back member, opposed sets of prongs, means for mounting the prongs on the back member, and opposed flippers carried on the prongs, each'fiipper having a recess in its inner longitudinal edge, each flipper having on its inner longitudinal edge a portion adapted to enter the recess in the inner longitudinal edge of the other flipper.

2. In a device of the class described, a back member, opposed sets of prongs, means for mounting the prongs on the back member, covers hlngedly connected to the back member, opposed flippers carried on the prongs, each flipper having a recess in its inner longitudinal edge, each flipper having on its inner longitudinal edge a portion adapted to enter the recess in the inner longitudinal edge of the other flipper, and spaced stops carried on the back member interposed between the flippers when the latter are in the operative position.

3. In a device of the class described, a back member, opposed covers hinged to the back member, opposed sets of prongs, means for mounting the prongs on the back member, and opposed flippers carried on the prongs, each flipper having a portion of its inner longitudinal edge cut-away to receive the uncutaway portion of the inner longitudinal edge 7 of the opposed flipper whereby the over-all width of the flippers when in operative position, will be less than the combined width of the widest dimensions of the flippers.

4. In a device of the class described, a back member, opposed covers hinged to the back member, opposed sets of prongs, means for mounting the prongs on the back member, and opposed flippers carried on the prongs, each flipper having a portion of its inner longitudinal edge cut-away to receive the uncutaway portion of the inner longitudinal edge of the opposed flipper whereby the over-all width of the flippers when in operative posi tion, will be less than the combined width of the widest dimensions of the flippers, and spaced stops carried on the back member interposed between the flippers when the latter are in the operative position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 17th day of October, 1929.

PAUL O. UNGER. 

